Southern Animal Rights Coalition
Encyclopedia
The Southern Animal Rights Coalition (SARC) is an umbrella organisation for groups campaigning against animal abuse in southern England
. SARC campaign on a variety of issues, one being focusing on pet
s. They also campaign against animal testing
, furs, wild boar farms and more recently foie gras
and greyhound racing
. The group campaigns, investigates and exposes animal cruelty whilst promoting a cruelty-free
lifestyle.
The coalition supports animal rights
groups in the south of England, including those in the following counties; Cornwall
, Devon
, Dorset
, Hampshire
, Somerset
, West Sussex
and Wiltshire
as well as working with other regional networks.
Keith Mann
and a trusted colleague, who to this day is still unknown, in 2003 raided the research laboratory and removed 695 mice that were being used to test Dysport. He was then arrested by detectives at his home and the mice were returned to the laboratory. He argued that the tests were illegal because the product was being tested for cosmetic purposes, Botox which is banned in Britain. A court rejected his claims, and found that the tests were in compliance with UK regulations because Dysport is used for therapeutic purposes to prevent muscle spasms.
According to SARC, they received the paperwork which revealed that cosmetic Botox was still being tested on animals and began working for a total ban on cosmetic tests, and for all Botulinum toxin to be tested using non-animal alternatives.
Stop Wickham Animal Testing (SWAT) was launched by campaigners and is supported by SARC and its members.
(LLF) to claim responsibility for a campaign of vandalism aimed at a lobster fisherman in Dorset. The group later spread to Wales
, Scotland, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. The groups methods include liberating lobsters and sabotaging
lobster pots
or fishing boats. The website was again used by the LLF in April 2005 to claim responsibility for further attacks on a fishermen's nets in Dorset.
directive that said Wild Boar in the UK should be released back into the wild, while the British government was considering a cull.
(RSPCA) to prosecute the owner of the shop for animal cruelty. The evidence was based on a raid by animal rights activists during which 300 birds, over 40 rabbits, around 50 rats, and an unknown number of guinea-pigs from a breeding centre that supplies the shop were removed. A spokesperson from the RSPCA said that the animals seemed in good shape, but some of the cages were too small. Philip Porter, who sold the animals, defended the conditions, showing concern for the baby rabbits left behind and the stress caused to his dog by the smashed window. By December 2006, Furry Friends had announced that they would no longer sell animals.
In October 2007, SARC said that they had forced the Ministry of Defence
to consider stopping the diving research on live goats by the defence research organisation QinetiQ
at their Alverstoke
Laboratory in Gosport
. According to the group, the animals were tested in hyperbaric chambers, in order to simulate under water pressure, to attempt to research the symptoms and possible cures of decompression sickness
and to study deep-sea rescue.
The tests were suspended in March with a committee of experts looking into alternative research models, such as computer-modelling and safe human trials, in an attempt to simulate the effects of decompression sickness
, or the bends, caused by ascending too quickly.
It was then announced in February 2008 that the Ministry of Defence had scrapped the experiments with goats, claiming that they were essential although they had now collected all the information necessary.
liver
that the group claim is enlarged as a result of force feeding. Since the campaign began, there have been restaurants that have stopped selling the dish in Hampshire, Somerset and Sussex
. The first restaurant owner the activists targeted with protests, Bistro Montparnasse in Southsea
, said that he felt victimised and singled out because other places at the time were selling the delicacy.
Greyhound
Track began later in June 2007 after the track was initially painted in January with animal rights slogans, an action claimed by the Animal Liberation Front
(ALF). Since, the track has seen regular demonstraitons, has been vandalized twice more and is apparently for sale after more damage was done to equipment at the track later on in the year.
retailers in the south for many years with some shops going fur-free in Portsmouth
and Winchester
in Hampshire
and Christchurch
in Dorset
as a result.
, Guilford, Portsmouth
, and Southhampton.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. SARC campaign on a variety of issues, one being focusing on pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
s. They also campaign against animal testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
, furs, wild boar farms and more recently foie gras
Foie gras
Foie gras ; French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding...
and greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
. The group campaigns, investigates and exposes animal cruelty whilst promoting a cruelty-free
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free is a social movement that seeks to avoid all products of cruelty. The term cruelty-free was first used in this way by Lady Dowding who persuaded manufacturers of fake furs to use the label Beauty Without Cruelty and went on to found the charity Beauty Without Cruelty in 1959...
lifestyle.
The coalition supports animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
groups in the south of England, including those in the following counties; Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
as well as working with other regional networks.
Wickham Laboratories
Keith Mann
Keith Mann is a British animal rights campaigner and writer, alleged by police in 2005 to be at the top of the Animal Liberation Front pyramid. He is the author of From Dusk 'til Dawn: An Insider's View of the Growth of the Animal Liberation Movement...
and a trusted colleague, who to this day is still unknown, in 2003 raided the research laboratory and removed 695 mice that were being used to test Dysport. He was then arrested by detectives at his home and the mice were returned to the laboratory. He argued that the tests were illegal because the product was being tested for cosmetic purposes, Botox which is banned in Britain. A court rejected his claims, and found that the tests were in compliance with UK regulations because Dysport is used for therapeutic purposes to prevent muscle spasms.
According to SARC, they received the paperwork which revealed that cosmetic Botox was still being tested on animals and began working for a total ban on cosmetic tests, and for all Botulinum toxin to be tested using non-animal alternatives.
Stop Wickham Animal Testing (SWAT) was launched by campaigners and is supported by SARC and its members.
Lobster Liberation Front
The website was sent messages in July 2004 by a group calling itself the Lobster Liberation FrontLobster Liberation Front
The Lobster Liberation Front is an animal rights campaign which first appeared on the coasts of Dorset in 2004, later spreading to Wales, Scotland, and some European countries...
(LLF) to claim responsibility for a campaign of vandalism aimed at a lobster fisherman in Dorset. The group later spread to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Scotland, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. The groups methods include liberating lobsters and sabotaging
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
lobster pots
Lobster trap
Not to be confused with Lobster-tailed potA lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. A lobster trap can hold several lobsters. Lobster traps are constructed of wire and wood. An opening permits the lobster to enter a tunnel of...
or fishing boats. The website was again used by the LLF in April 2005 to claim responsibility for further attacks on a fishermen's nets in Dorset.
Boar
SARC also uncovered a European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
directive that said Wild Boar in the UK should be released back into the wild, while the British government was considering a cull.
Pet shops
The groups interest in pets started with supporting the Animal Protection Agency’s campaign against pet fairs. A campaign coordinated against Furry Friends pet shop followed, which called on the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsRoyal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. In 2009 the RSPCA investigated 141,280 cruelty complaints and collected and rescued 135,293 animals...
(RSPCA) to prosecute the owner of the shop for animal cruelty. The evidence was based on a raid by animal rights activists during which 300 birds, over 40 rabbits, around 50 rats, and an unknown number of guinea-pigs from a breeding centre that supplies the shop were removed. A spokesperson from the RSPCA said that the animals seemed in good shape, but some of the cages were too small. Philip Porter, who sold the animals, defended the conditions, showing concern for the baby rabbits left behind and the stress caused to his dog by the smashed window. By December 2006, Furry Friends had announced that they would no longer sell animals.
Save The Goats
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
to consider stopping the diving research on live goats by the defence research organisation QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
at their Alverstoke
Alverstoke
Alverstoke is a parish in the borough of Gosport, Hampshire, England, that encompasses land stretching from Haslar to Stokes Bay. Alverstoke lies within half a mile of the shore of Stokes Bay and near the head of a creek which extends a mile westward from Portsmouth Harbour...
Laboratory in Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
. According to the group, the animals were tested in hyperbaric chambers, in order to simulate under water pressure, to attempt to research the symptoms and possible cures of decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
and to study deep-sea rescue.
The tests were suspended in March with a committee of experts looking into alternative research models, such as computer-modelling and safe human trials, in an attempt to simulate the effects of decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
, or the bends, caused by ascending too quickly.
It was then announced in February 2008 that the Ministry of Defence had scrapped the experiments with goats, claiming that they were essential although they had now collected all the information necessary.
Foie Gras
In January 2007 the campaign "Delicacy of Despair" against foie gras was launched, targeting restaurants which serve duckDuck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
that the group claim is enlarged as a result of force feeding. Since the campaign began, there have been restaurants that have stopped selling the dish in Hampshire, Somerset and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. The first restaurant owner the activists targeted with protests, Bistro Montparnasse in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
, said that he felt victimised and singled out because other places at the time were selling the delicacy.
Portsmouth Greyhound Track
The campaign to close the PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
Greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
Track began later in June 2007 after the track was initially painted in January with animal rights slogans, an action claimed by the Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
(ALF). Since, the track has seen regular demonstraitons, has been vandalized twice more and is apparently for sale after more damage was done to equipment at the track later on in the year.
Other
Activists have campaigned against furFur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
retailers in the south for many years with some shops going fur-free in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
as a result.
Chapters
SARC chapters work directly with the coalition and their campaigns and/or have an alliance with the coalition. Since 2007, there have been chapters established which continue to campaign in; BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Guilford, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, and Southhampton.
See also
- Stop Huntingdon Animal CrueltyStop Huntingdon Animal CrueltyStop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty is an international animal rights campaign to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences , Europe's largest contract animal-testing laboratory. HLS tests medical and non-medical substances on around 75,000 animals every year, from rats to primates...
(SHAC) - SPEAK CampaignsSPEAK (animals)SPEAK, the Voice for the Animals is a British animal rights campaign founded in 2003 that aims to end animal experimentation in the UK. It has to date fought against two projects. The first was a proposed non-human primate research facility at the University of Cambridge, which was abandoned in...
- Western Animal Rights NetworkWestern Animal Rights NetworkThe Western Animal Rights Network first appeared in 2005 as a coalition for animal rights groups in the West of England and South Wales and acted as a news service for animal rights demos and action reports....
(WARN) - Behind the MaskBehind the Mask (ALF)Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals is a 2006 documentary film about the Animal Liberation Front . It took three years of filming, interviewing, and editing to complete. The movie was created by animal-rights lawyer Shannon Keith, who owns Uncaged Films and...
- Animal rights movement
- Leaderless resistanceLeaderless resistanceLeaderless resistance, or phantom cell structure, is a political resistance strategy in which small, independent groups , including individuals , challenge an established adversary such as a government. Leaderless resistance can encompass anything from non-violent disruption and civil disobedience...
- Animal rightsAnimal rightsAnimal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
- Animal testingAnimal testingAnimal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
Further reading
- Mann, KeithKeith MannKeith Mann is a British animal rights campaigner and writer, alleged by police in 2005 to be at the top of the Animal Liberation Front pyramid. He is the author of From Dusk 'til Dawn: An Insider's View of the Growth of the Animal Liberation Movement...
, (2007) From Dusk 'til Dawn: An Insider's View of the Growth of the Animal Liberation Movement, Puppy Pincher Press, ISBN 978-0-9555850-0-5 - Newkirk, IngridIngrid NewkirkIngrid Newkirk is a British-born animal rights activist and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals , the world's largest animal rights organization...
, (2000) Free the Animals: The Story of the Animal Liberation Front, Lantern Books, ISBN 1-930051-22-0
Campaigns
- Stop The Botox Horror
- Stop Wickham Animal Testing (SWAT)
- Lobster Liberation
- The Boar Wars
- Fur Free South
- Prosecute Porter Campaign ended December 2006
- Save The Goats Campaign ended February 2008
- Foie Gras - Delicacy of Despair
- Close The Portsmouth Greyhound Track